3.4 Setting User Policies

As an administrator, you can set user policies to control how some Messenger client features work and to establish defaults for some Messenger client functionality. You can configure user policies to apply to all Messenger users or to selected Messenger users.

3.4.1 Editing the Default User Policy

If you use the same policy for all Messenger users, editing the default user policy affects all users. If you have multiple user policies, editing the default user policy affects those users who are not governed by another policy.

After you create a new policy, you do not need to restart the Messenger agents in order for the updated policy to be in effect. The new policy is in effect the next time users governed by the policy log in to Messenger, as described in Applying a Policy to Specific Users.

3.4.3 Customizing Messenger Client Features

The options on the General page of the Policy object customize how the Messenger client works for users governed by the policy you are creating or editing. You can set these options to enable or disable certain functionality and to provide some settings that override comparable settings on the Messenger Service object.

Enable Novell Messenger Services:
Use this option to enable or disable the Messenger client for the users governed by this policy. It is enabled by default.

Archive Message Sessions:
Use this option to enable or disable conversation archiving for users governed by this policy. It is disabled by default. If you want to enable archiving, see Section 4.0, Enabling and Managing Archiving.

Allow Users to Search eDirectory for Other Users:
Use this option to allow or prevent Messenger users from building their contact lists by searching for users in eDirectory. It is enabled by default. If you disable this option, users governed by this policy can only add known eDirectory user IDs to their contact lists.

Allow Users to Send Broadcast Messages to Other Users:
Use this option to enable or disable users to send broadcast messages to other users. It is enabled by default. If you disable this option, users governed by this policy cannot send broadcast messages to other users.

Allow Users to Send System Broadcast Messages:
Use this option to enable or disable users to send system broadcast messages to all users who are online. It is disabled by default. If you enable this feature, users governed by this policy can send broadcast messages to all online users.

Allow Users to Use Chat Rooms:
Use this option to enable or disable users to use Messenger chat rooms. It is enabled by default. If you disable this feature, users governed by this policy cannot join Messenger chat rooms.

Allow Users to Create Chat Rooms:
Use this option to enable or disable users to create Messenger chat rooms. It is disabled by default. If you enable this option, users governed by this policy can create Messenger chat rooms.

Allow Users to Change Their Password:
Use this option to enable or disable users to change their eDirectory passwords from the Messenger client. It is disabled by default because Messenger authenticates users by using their eDirectory passwords and you might not want users changing their eDirectory passwords in the Messenger client. If you enable this option, users governed by this policy have a Change Password item on the Tools menu in the Messenger client where they can change their eDirectory passwords.

Allow Users to Use Remember Password:
Use this option to enable or disable users to use Remember Password. It is enabled by default. If you disable this option, users governed by this policy cannot use Remember Password in the client.

Scope Profile:
To override the scope profile defined on the General page of the Messenger Service object for users governed by this policy, browse to and select the scope profile that lists the contexts where users governed by the policy can search for User objects.

If you do not want an option to be changeable for individual Messenger users, click the Lock button next to it.

Each option is accompanied by a Lock button. When an option is unlocked, it can be overridden by changing the option setting on the Novell Messenger General page of individual User objects.

3.4.4 Customizing Personal History Features

The options on the History page of the Policy object customize how the Messenger client works for users governed by the policy you are creating or editing. You can set these options to enable or disable certain functionality and to provide some settings that override comparable settings on the Messenger Service object.

Allow Users to Print and Save Conversations:
Use this option to enable or disable users to print or save their conversations. It is enabled by default. If you disable this feature, users governed by this policy cannot print or save their conversations.

Allow Users to Use Personal History:
Use this option to enable or disable users to use Personal History. It is enabled by default. If you disable this feature, users governed by this policy cannot use Personal History.

If you do not want an option to be changeable for individual Messenger users, click the Lock button next to it.

3.4.5 Controlling Users' Contact Lists

By default, users build their own contact lists in the Messenger client and they can add as many as 100 contacts. As an administrator, you can control the size of the contact list and you can create a default contact list for Messenger users, so that users governed by this policy have something to start with when they first use the Messenger client.

Fill in the following fields to control the size of users' contact lists:

Maximum Number of Contacts:
Specify the maximum number of users that users governed by this policy can add to their contact lists. The default is 100. Users' contact lists are stored on their User objects in your Messenger system. Therefore, you might want to limit the amount of space occupied by contact lists in eDirectory.

Maximum Number of Folders:
Specify the maximum number of folders that users governed by this policy can create in their contact lists. The default is 50.

If you want to create a default contact list for the users governed by this policy:

To add users to the default contact list, click Add User, browse to and select one or more User objects, then click OK.

To add a folder in the default contact list, click Add Folder, select the new folder, click Edit, specify the name of the folder, then click OK.

To add users to a folder, select the folder, click Add User, browse to and select one or more User objects, then click OK.

You cannot drag and drop users into a folder.

To expand or collapse the list of users in a folder, double-click the folder.

To change the way a username displays in the default contact list, select the user, click Edit, specify the username that you want to appear in the contact list, then click OK.

This does not rename the eDirectory User object.

To delete a user or folder from the default contact list, select the user or folder, then click Remove.

Folders do not need to be empty to be deleted. You are not prompted for confirmation. There is no undo.

If you are creating an extensive default contact list, click Apply occasionally to save your work.

New Messenger users see the default contact list when they first start the Messenger client. Existing Messenger users who already have their own contact lists are not affected by your default contact list.

Each contact list option is accompanied by a Lock button. When an option is unlocked, it can be overridden by changing the option setting on the Novell Messenger General page of individual User objects, or in the case of the contact list, by Messenger users themselves.

If you do not want an option to be changeable for individual Messenger users, click the Lock button next to it.

IMPORTANT:If you lock the contact list, users cannot change their contact lists in the Messenger client.

3.4.6 Setting Up a Default Privacy List

By default, all users whose User objects are located in a context listed in a scope profile have access to Messenger. Users control who can see their online status and who can send them messages. As an administrator, you can establish a default privacy list for users governed by the policy you are creating or editing.

To add users to the Allowed list, click in the Allowed list, then click the + button.

or

To add users to the Blocked list, click in the Blocked list, then click the + button.

Browse to and select one or more users.

To move users from the one list to the other, select one or more users, then click the right-arrow or left-arrow button.

To delete users from either list, select one or more users, then click the Remove button.

New Messenger users see the default privacy list when they first start the Messenger client. Existing Messenger users who already have their own privacy lists are not affected by your default privacy list.

The privacy list option is accompanied by a Lock button. When an option is unlocked, it can be overridden by changing the option setting on the Novell Messenger General page of individual User objects, or in the case of the privacy list, by Messenger users themselves.

If you do not want the default privacy list to be changeable for individual Messenger users, click the Lock button.

IMPORTANT:If you lock the privacy list, users cannot change their privacy lists in the Messenger client.

The information is listed according to its eDirectory attribute name. For example, L stands for Location. The Messenger client automatically translates OU into Department and Internet Email Address into E-mail Address, but any other attribute name changes must be made manually.

If you want to clarify the meaning of an attribute for Messenger users:

Select an attribute, then click Edit,

Specify the name you want users to see when displaying contact properties, then click OK.

If the list includes information that you do not want users to be able to see, select an attribute, then click Remove.

If you want to add more attributes to the list:

Click Add.

If you want to add eDirectory attributes, click Available Attributes.

All eDirectory attributes of type STRING or DN are listed.

Select one or more attributes, then click OK twice to return to the Information List page.

or

If you want to add LDAP attributes, specify one or more LDAP attributes, separating the attributes with semicolons (;), then click OK to return to the Information List page.

If you are using LDAP access to eDirectory and if you want to add telephone numbers and fax numbers (which are not attributes of type STRING or DN in eDirectory), specify telephoneNumber and/or faxNumber as attributes, then click OK to return to the Information List page.

The information list option is accompanied by a Lock button. When an option is unlocked, it can be overridden by changing the option setting on the Novell Messenger General page of individual User objects.

If you do not want the default information list to be changeable for individual Messenger users, click the Lock button.

3.4.8 Creating A Custom Status

By default, the Messenger client provides the following selectable user statuses that indicate user presence in the Messenger system:

Icon

Status

Online

Busy

Away

Appear Offline

In the Messenger client, users can create their own custom statuses to indicate their presence. As an administrator, you can create custom statuses to be available to all users governed by this policy.

New Messenger users see your custom statuses when they first start the Messenger client. Existing Messenger users who might have created their own custom statuses are not affected by your custom statuses.

The custom status list option is accompanied by a Lock button. When an option is unlocked, it can be overridden by changing the option setting on the Novell Messenger General page of individual User objects, or in the case of the custom status list, by Messenger users themselves.

If you do not want the custom statuses to be changeable for individual Messenger users, click the Lock button.

IMPORTANT:If you lock the custom status list, users cannot create their own custom statuses in the Messenger client.

Click Add, then browse to and select those users that you want to be governed by this policy.

You can select only User objects. You cannot select container objects, Group objects, Organizational Role objects, GroupWise Distribution List objects, and so on.

The reference list option is accompanied by a Lock button. When an option is unlocked, it can be overridden by changing the option setting on the Novell Messenger General page of individual User objects.